The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-11-01

while he looked at me; but he soon
began again, first in lower tone than
before, and then louder, talking mostly
to the others. At length, turning to
mt. he said, in an apologize way:
"You see, this man we were talking
about is all right, only he imbibes q
little too much for his own good. He's
. good hand. though, and good me-
chanic for all that"
"Does the company allow the men
TO drink while at work." / asked.
wall, the boss didn't like it, but as
long as we tended to business, we
were all right; he didn't say nothin'.
He did say once, though, that when
the new mill and new landin' was
workin', that he wanted new ways, or
new hands, or somethin' to that effect;
but we treated that more as a joke
than any thing else. The truth is he
took little himself and couldn't say
much" and Jerry laughed at what he
considered joke on his boss.
When it had grown SO dark that the
candles and lamps had been lighted,
young servant-girl, somewhat more
tidy-looking than the woman who had
first greeted my eyes, announced that
supper was ready. rose from my
seat, along with several others, and
started from the room, when, hearing
the street door open, we paused to see
who might enter.
It was a woman. She was pale, and
seemed tremulOus and tender. She
wore faded calico dress, scarcely Wis
ible beneath a long-bodied. badly fit
ting, thread-bare cloak. On her head
was a faded brown or gray shawl,
which she held there with one bony
hand, while the other grasped the door
knob. No one spoke, while she seemed
to be taking each one of us in separate
ly; then, with a look of disappoint-
ment, she made movement as if to 90
out, when the servant stepped forward
and said: Come in, Mrs. Holder"
"Is Henry here" she asked. The
girl not appearing to know, one Of the
men answered:
'.He didn't come down, Mrs. Holder;
he stayed at the camp"
She turned, stepped out into the
snow and closed the door after her.
Shortly after dark the mercury began
to fall-or would have begun, had
there been any at that place to begin
with. which much doubt; but it grew
colder very fast. The fine, sandy Snow
sifted in at every crack and crevice of
the badly constructed and rickety
houses of the village, and, drifting
against the fences. it made impossible
barriers in the mountain passes and
roads.
1t was a wild night. and 1 still re-
member it wildly. was shown to an
old-fashioned bed. in an old-fashioned
room. Upon the bed were piled al
most enough blankets to smother me, ]
thought, but toward the end of the
night, found it impossible to keep
warm, and rose earlier than / other
wise should have done. Having
dressed, 1 CROPPED my way down the
dark stairway and through the chilly
dining-room, to the bar-rOom, where
the fire made it more comfortable. j
found Roscoe sitting by the great stove.
and as soon as stepped in he told me
that he had a caller.
Rather cool for callers so early, isn't
FTP" asked.
Just what / thought when he came
in," was his reply. at was a man as
lives next to Holders. He says there's
been bright light aburnin' all night
in Holders house, an they don't
believe Mrs. Holders been there since
she left. about four o'clock last night,
and come up here. He said they could
see the bed where they usually slept,
and it was all made up. That led 'em
to try the door. and findin' it unlocked,
they went in and found the house cold,
and no sign of any one havin' been
there all night; at least. none 'cept the
lamp. and that might a. burnt all night,
you know. My opinion is that she's
stayin' at one of the neighbours, though
she never would leave the house o.
nights before"
Before nine o'clock that morning
every one in the village knew that the
lumberman's wife was missing, and
many were the opinions as to her
whereabouts. 1t was reported that
some one had seen 8 portion of
woman's dress sticking out of snow
drift in the outskirts of the town; but
the person who had seen it could not
be found.
One thing was certain, however,
Mrs. Holder was not in the village.
After the stormy night of drifting snow
there were no tracks to follow, and no
one could suggest plausible theory as
to where she had gone; except that,
perhaps, tired and disguised at her
hnchandfc naDlaaf che haI oo.alrlol